Taste of Innocence
by Silence of the Wolves
Summary: Sample entry for the Silence of the Wolves Contest. Posted with Nolebucgrl's permission. AU, features a character death.


**Silence of the Wolves Contest**

**Title: **SAMPLE ENTRY - Taste of Innocence

**Author: **Nolebucgrl

**Author's homepage:** http://www(.)fanfiction(.)net/u/1901714/Nolebucgrl

**or**

http://nolebucgrl(.)wordpress(.)com/

**Main Players: **Edward, Jacob, Bella

**Disclaimer: **_Twilight and its characters are not mine, I'm just toying with them._

**To see other Contest entries, please visit the Contest's FanFiction page:**

**http://www(.)fanfiction(.)net/u/2269000/Silence_of_the_Wolves**

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What did I do? What the fuck did I do? I mean, seriously, what in the hell was I thinking? I paced back and forth outside the bedroom door, reaching for the knob and then snatching my hand back before I went in and saw the girl lying still and silent on the bed. What the fuck made me think that I had the right to take the life of someone who'd never harmed a single being? I may not have been able to read her mind but I knew her very soul and it just wasn't in Bella Swan to hurt someone. So how did I repay her? I took her light away.

I didn't even know if I did it right. I had never made a vampire before. I'd never even seen it done when it came down to it. The only knowledge I had was my very hazy memory of Victoria turning me. And I didn't remember anything but biting and burning. Maybe she'd be better off if I fucked up and it didn't work and I'd really killed her. Her heart was still beating faintly, for now, but who's to say that it wouldn't just go silent and she'd never wake up?

Did I want her to wake up? How would she react when she did? Would she see immortality as the gift I intended it to be or would she consider it a curse and hate me for eternity? Why the hell was I even keeping her? She'd be my fucking responsibility now; it was up to me to make sure she learned how to hunt properly, to make sure she knew how to move undetected through society so the Volturi wouldn't come after her. Edward Cullen doesn't do responsibility. I'd spent 90 years alone and here I was committing myself to training a new vampire?

Fuck, why did I even want her? What was it about Bella Swan that made it impossible for me just to kill her and walk away? I'd walked back into that bedroom countless times, every time intent upon ending her life, leaving her as nothing but a fond memory but I couldn't do it. I'd look at that sweet face and I couldn't make myself end her. I saw my mark on her neck, already healed, and I felt possessive, glad that she bore a symbol of me. She was mine. I'd never wanted anyone to be mine but I really fucking wanted her. What kind of spell had she cast upon me? Her blood had been heavenly but was it bewitched? I could have anyone I wanted, what the fuck made her so damn special?

Twelve hours had passed since I made love to Bella and made her mine. They were the longest hours of my life and I still had sixty more to go according to Victoria. Why did it have to take three fucking days to make a vampire? Could her heart really hold out long enough to push the venom throughout her body? Should I bite her again? God, this was annoying. I was annoying myself. I needed to get the hell out of the house. She wouldn't know that I was gone.

I stormed down the stairs and got all the way to the front door but I couldn't make myself walk through it. Fuck. She had to be a witch; nobody made me feel this way. I threw myself down on the couch and huffed. I couldn't even play music right now, my mind wouldn't slow down enough to concentrate, plus I couldn't hear her heartbeat over the sound. I had to know that heart was still beating. It was the most important sound in my world right now for some unfathomable reason.

I glanced at the clock. It was noon. They should be missing her by now. That was something I could actually check on. I grabbed my jacket and pulled out the phone number Rose had given me last night. I had told her I would call today, after all. It wouldn't be unexpected; Rosalie was the type of a girl that a guy did call right away. Before I could think about it any further, I dialed her number.

"Hello? Bella?" Panic was clear in her tone. I started looking around the room, somehow thinking Bella was going to walk in and answer her. Oh, I had to answer her.

"Rose? It's Edward, from last night. Remember me?" As if she could forget, nobody forgot me.

She let out a shaky breath. "Oh, yes, of course, Edward." I waited but she didn't say anything else.

"Is something wrong? Why did you say Bella when I called?" Like I didn't know.

"She's missing, Edward! She never came home last night, at least not as far as we can tell. It's just not like her." No, studious little Bella would be safely home and tucked into bed by midnight every night.

"Have you called anyone? The police?" She mattered, I had finally taken someone who people would miss and I wanted to experience it firsthand.

She barked out a harsh laugh. "We tried. She has to be missing 48 hours in order for them to do anything. They assume she just met some guy and ran off with him last night, as if Bella would do something like that!" Oh but she did, Rose. She met the wrong guy, or the right one depending on your viewpoint. It had felt very right last night, sliding my cock into that wet warmth, seeing those trusting brown eyes looking at me as if I was the only man in the entire world.

"Well I only spent a couple minutes with her but she certainly didn't seem that type to me."

"I know! They won't listen, but Bella's father did. He's already on a flight on his way here."

"Can you think of anyone who might want to harm her? Any guy that pays too much attention to her?"

"There is one guy…" What? Who was lusting after my Bella? I would crush him if he'd ever touched her.

"Who?" My voice came out a little more harshly than I intended but I didn't like the thought of anyone giving Bella a hard time.

"Jacob Black." Disgust laced her tone. "He lives on the floor below us and asks Bella out weekly. She always says no. I haven't seen him yet today. I told Charlie about him when he asked about anyone who paid her a little too much attention though. He's one of the boys that just won't take no for an answer." I'd teach him the word; he'd be screaming it over and over as I crushed his fingers one by one. "I don't think he'd harm Bella, he's one of those puppy dog types, just following her around slobbering."

What in the hell was wrong with me? I wanted to kill some insignificant human who'd actually recognized Bella for the prize that she was? I sighed at my own idiocy. "Yeah I know that type. Pathetic." She didn't give him the time of day though, did she? She didn't let him kiss her, touch her, make love to her. No, that was all me and it would only ever be me.

She laughed. "Definitely. So I doubt she's with him. I just don't know where she could be." Worry entered her tone again.

"Is there anything I can do?" I tried my best to sound like the concerned potential suitor, even though I was more than ready to get off the phone. Rose's mention of that Black douche had given me an idea.

"Oh, Edward, that's so kind of you. Just, if you go out today, keep an eye for her alright? I'd really like to get together again but right now…"

"I more than understand that, Rose, please keep me informed and when she turns up, safe and sound, we'll get together to celebrate alright?" I lowered my voice to a sexy purr.

She couldn't resist, I knew she couldn't, her reply was breathy. "I'd really like that; it's a shame we had to cut our night short." No, it truly wasn't. I'd had the best night of my very long life last night.

"Yes, definitely. We'll make up for lost time, soon. Keep me up to date on Bella. When did you say her father would be in?"

"He had a few connecting flights, he'll land around seven tonight."

"Well hopefully she'll be home and his trip will be unnecessary."

"I hope so!"

"I'll let you go, take care."

"You too, Edward, I'll talk to you soon?"

"Count on it, babe. Goodbye."

I disconnected quickly and ran back upstairs to check on Bella. Her heart was still beating a steady rhythm. I finally touched her and snatched my hand back quickly. Her skin was cooling, not nearly as warm and pliant as it had been under my hands last night. There was a slight sheen to the pale skin now; it was close to the same color of my own. My eyes detected slight changes to her body, some of the roundness had disappeared, muscles and definition beginning to take its place. She'd be a beautiful vampire; there was no doubt about it. I hesitantly placed a hand on her cheek.

"I'm going to run an errand, but I'll be back soon." She wouldn't even know I was gone but already the fucking guilt was eating away at me. I knew she had to be in terrible pain, for clearly it was working. I'd managed not to fuck up completely, much to my utter surprise. "Don't worry, baby, I'll have a present for you when you wake up." I don't know what made me do it but I pressed a kiss to her forehead before I left.

I had a few hours to find that Jacob Black kid so I headed to NYU and found Bella's dorm. I asked a scrawny kid named Paul where Jacob Black lived and he took me right to his room. He wasn't there but I broke in and looked around. I opened his closet and was assaulted with a scent that overwhelmed me. Bella? What had she been doing here? I shoved through the clothes and found a red scarf that smelled like her. That little pervert had stolen her scarf. God only knew what depraved activities he did with the thing. I was disgusted but also grateful. The kid was almost making it too easy on me.

I put the scarf under his pillow and placed a few of Bella's hairs in the bed as well. When forensics came looking, they'd find evidence that she'd been here, or at least that he had more than a little interest in her. I was familiar enough with his scent so I left the room and sought him out. He'd been kind enough to have a copy of his schedule sitting in his desk drawer so I knew he had Economy in the Harris Building now. I plopped down at a table and opened one of his books that I'd stolen, trying to look like every other student. I was immediately assaulted by several fantasies starring yours truly. One fat chick wanted me to fuck her against the tree while a mousy little thing in glasses wanted me to bend her over the picnic table. I smiled to myself; it was always the quiet ones.

I kept my eyes trained on the front of the building as people started pouring out. Ahh, there he was. He was rather large for a human, Native American, long black hair, some decent muscle. Still, he was not remotely worthy to breathe the same air as my Bella, he looked like a complete tool. I kept my up my reading ruse until he passed me, then shut the book and followed him, waiting for an opportunity to get him alone. He cut between buildings and I had my chance. I darted ahead of him and grabbed him before he got back out into the open. I brought a hand to his skull and a slight knock and he was out. I took off at full speed; no human eyes could make out my form as I darted home with the bulky human thrown over my shoulder.

I threw his still form into the basement and yanked the inside door handle off. He wouldn't be able to get out until I wanted him to. I darted back into Bella's room and breathed a sigh of relief when I saw her chest rise and fall and heard that heartbeat again. It was a little fainter now but still doing its job, pushing my venom through her veins.

I touched her cheek softly again and took her hand in mine. "I'm back, Bella. I brought you a present. I can't promise you'll enjoy it but I think you will." I chuckled. Maybe she'd be glad to kill the nuisance that harassed her for months on end. It could be completely therapeutic for her. I stayed with her until I heard the human awaken; he started pounding on the door crying for help. "Time to provide our friend some assistance, love."

I flew down the stairs and yanked the basement door open. Black fell into my arms and I shoved him, rather hard, down the stairs. His arms pinwheeled behind him as he tried in vain to catch something but there was nothing to grasp. He fell on his ass and stared at me in terror. "Who are you and what do you want from me?" Words like sex slave and rape flew through his mind and I tossed my head back and laughed.

"Relax, Jacob, I can assure you I have no plans to steal your virtue." As if I would soil myself with this insignificant little worm.

He scooted off the ground and crossed his muscular arms. "How do you know my name?"

I narrowed my eyes at him and just said her name. "Isabella Swan." His jaw dropped open and instantly my mind was assaulted with images of _my _Bella. She was walking with Alice and Rosalie, a smile gracing her lovely face, her eyes alight with laughter. She was bent over a book in the library, a studious look on her face as she took copious notes. She was changing her sweater, the lovely swell of her breasts spilling out of her pink satin bra…wait, how the fuck did he get that image in his head? I studied the vantage point and it was clear the pervert had watched from below her window. What the fuck?

Before I could think about it I had him pinned to the wall, his arm twisted painfully behind his back as he gasped and cried out. "So, you're nothing but a fucking peeping tom are you? She wouldn't give you the time of day so you spied on her while she dressed? Did you use that image when you touched your tiny little penis every night, Jacob?" I twisted his wrist and smiled in satisfaction as it snapped. He screamed loudly and I released him, shoving him back to the floor. I didn't want to touch the disgusting letch.

He gripped his wrist, tears streaming down his face. "How did you know about that?"

I leaned forward, my face showing the demon that I hid so carefully away most of the time. "I know every fucking thing you think and every fucking thing you do. So be careful what thoughts flit through that pathetic little mind of yours. There are many bones in the human body, Jacob, and I'd love to inflict damage on every one of them."

He cowered into the corner like an abused animal and I smiled at the image of subservience before me. "Tell me, Jacob, do you have a car?"

He looked confused at the shift in conversation but nodded. "What kind?"

"It's a beat up, rusted red Chevy. This can't be about stealing my car, can it? I don't have money, man; I'm here on a scholarship and…"

I rolled my eyes, was he really that much of a fucking moron? "Do I look like I need your money?" My designer leather jacket probably cost more than his truck. He shook his head and continued to grip his wrist. What a fucking baby. "Where do you park and do you have your keys on you?"

He shook his head in answer and I picked him up and slammed him against the wall. His eyes rolled back into his head at the force I'd used but he didn't pass out. I'd have to be careful; I could wind up killing the fool before Bella awakened. "Wrong answer. They're in your pocket. I can smell the metal. Are you going to hand them to me or would you prefer I take them myself?" My voice dripped with the menace I felt towards this sad little individual.

He slid his left hand into his pocket, gasping at the pain that movement caused his wrist but pulling the keys out. "Now, where do you park?"

"At my dorm, it's…"

"I know where you live."

"How? Why?"

I let him go and he sank back to the floor. "Your questions are irritating me. It's no wonder that Bella didn't deem you worth a moment of her time." How had she not slugged the guy? He wouldn't hit her back, he wasn't the type. And if he was, I would pulverize him.

"What does Bella have to do with this?"

I smiled and knew I bore the look of a predator in that moment. "Everything." _What does he want with her? I won't let him touch a hair on her head. _I laughed aloud at that, I'd had my hands everywhere on that precious girl's body. I went up the steps and looked back at him, still huddled in the corner, no thought of attempting to get to me while my back was turned. Maybe he wasn't as stupid as he appeared. "Don't bother screaming or trying to get out, nobody will hear you and if I hear you carrying on when I return, I'll break something else. Maybe your other wrist, that would really limit your ability to choke the chicken to images of _my_ Bella, wouldn't it?" He gasped at her name but didn't say anything as I slammed the door shut again. To be safe, I pushed the refrigerator in front of it but I was fairly confident he wouldn't even try to escape.

I ran back to NYU and Bella's dorm. There were no police cars and thankfully Alice and Rose weren't milling about. I found Jacob's excuse for a truck and climbed in, wrinkling my nose in disgust at the rusty vehicle. I'd need a shower after riding in it; I was accustomed to far better machines. The engine thundered to life and I frowned, nothing furtive about this vehicle. I reversed and drove gingerly out of the parking lot, hoping not to call any more attention to myself than I already had. I sighed impatiently as the truck rumbled onto the highway. I took the JFK exit and parked in long term parking, switching the plates with a car on the 4th floor. The cops would think one of two things, that he'd taken a flight out of town or that he'd stolen a vehicle. Either way, things wouldn't look good for young Jacob Black when it came to Bella's disappearance.

Speaking of stealing cars…I came upon a black Lexus and yanked the door open, the lock screeching in protest but giving way with just a light tug of my fingers. I reached under the dashboard and pulled out the wires, deftly connecting them and hearing the engine purr to life. This was more like it. I abandoned the car ten miles from my brownstone and took the rest of the walk on foot. I paused outside the door and smiled when I didn't hear a peep coming from inside.

I strolled into the living room and glanced at the basement door, the refrigerator was still in place and the human was silent. I hope he hadn't died in fear while I was gone, his cold blood would hold no appeal for Bella when she awoke. No, I could hear his heartbeat, pounding away. I frowned because it drowned out Bella's lighter sound. I ran upstairs and looked in at her.

She lay still in the center of the bed, her little face completely composed despite the fire that was raging within her veins. I felt bad that I had to cause her a moment's pain, but it would be worth it in the end. She would take her place at my side and together we'd rule the world. I placed a gentle kiss on her cheek and was rewarded with a soft sigh from her ruby lips. A glance at the clock showed that it was after eight PM; her father should be at her dorm by now. I wondered how long it would be before they went into Jacob's room and found her scarf there. I'd have to give Rosalie another call tomorrow to check on her missing friend.

I wandered back downstairs and glanced at the basement door again. I didn't really want to go back down and spend time with Bella's meal but what else was there to do? I couldn't play music right now; I just wasn't in the mood. TV was boring, girls were out…there would be no other girl for me, I was sure of it. Bella, somehow, had become the only one I wanted and I was inexplicably okay with that. I couldn't wait to watch her feed from Jacob; I'd been unable to stand watching Victoria feed, she was far too savage. My Bella was a delicate creature, though, and I imagined she'd be stunning when she let the beast free.

Dammit, meals. I would have to feed that fucker sometime within the next two days. He was a nuisance even when he wasn't thinking thoughts about _my_ girl. I got off the couch and walked down to Myron's deli, ordered a turkey sub, roast beef and some macaroni salad. That should tide him over until she woke up.

I brought the food home and shoved the refrigerator back where it belonged, placing all but the turkey sub inside. I went back downstairs and grinned when I found Jacob still sitting right where I'd left him. I was immediately assaulted by the nauseating scent of urine. I looked and saw a dark stain on his pants. "You pissed yourself? What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"Excuse me for getting scared when some _thing _kidnapped me, broke my wrist and locked me in a basement!" What the fuck? Was he seriously that stupid, talking back to _me_?

I picked him up by his ridiculously long hair and he screamed in pain. "It would seem to me that you'd watch your mouth when said _thing _returns and brings you a goddamn sandwich, you fuckwit." Smiling, I dropped the sub right in the spot in which he'd urinated. Maybe that would teach him a lesson about minding his mouth. "Enjoy your dinner." I let go of his hair and left him to eat or not eat, I really didn't care at this point.

I very rarely wished I had any true human traits but right about now I was longing for sleep. It would kill a good eight hours and I'd be all the closer to Bella's awakening. Sighing I flipped on the TV and settled on the 24 hour local news station. It was still probably too early but I sat up when "breaking news" flashed across the screen.

"Two NYU students are missing and one is sought in questioning for the disappearance of the other. Isabella Swan hasn't been seen since midnight last night." A picture of Bella flashed on the screen, one of those high school glamour shots that they use for their senior class. Her hair curled softly around her face and a soft smile tugged at her lips. Her eyes were alight with her innocence. It took my breath away.

"Fellow student Jacob Black hasn't been seen since two this afternoon. Due to his relationship with Ms. Swan," I scowled at that. Relationship? They didn't have a fucking relationship. He stalked her and she hated him. Period. "Police searched his room and found signs that Ms. Swan may have been in his room recently." Good, the cops weren't the morons I'd half expected them to be.

A stern looking man with a moustache walked up to the reporter outside the dorms. "My name is Charlie Swan and I'm a police chief in Forks, Washington but I'm not here as a cop, I'm here as a father. If you've seen my little girl or Jacob Black, please call the NYPD." His face gave nothing away but his eyes flashed with pain and his voice was gravelly, as if he'd been yelling or smoking for hours, maybe both. This man loved his daughter. That much was clear.

I felt a pang of guilt that I quickly willed away. I didn't believe in feeling guilty. Bella belonged with me. I had to take her. I could feel in every fiber of my being that I was right, so there was no room for regret. I'd wanted to take someone that mattered and she did. Chief Swan and Rosalie and Alice would always remember her. Nobody remembered me…well that wasn't true. The girls I'd fucked no doubt remembered me but they were insignificant and that was the type of mattering I was thinking of. Love. Bella was loved. Nobody loved me and that didn't really bother me, I could give a fuck most of the time. But for just a moment I wondered what it would be like to be loved. Maybe the girl upstairs would someday grow to love me. Did I really want that?

I wondered idly if Bella or I would tire of one another after a decade or two. I didn't much like the idea of that. I'd never wanted to keep someone around before but I didn't like picturing life without her. What kind of spell had she woven over me? The problem was I didn't want to escape it.

I watched some mindless action movies for awhile, letting myself enjoy bloodshed and explosions. I eventually checked on Jacob and found him asleep, dreaming of slaying the beast that I was and saving Bella, getting a grateful kiss from her in return. Like she'd want another man's lips when she'd had mine. I laughed sardonically and that and the fact that he'd eaten the sandwich. Maybe on my next visit he'd be a little more pleasant and I wouldn't be forced to ruin the next one.

Morning eventually came. Forty more hours. It felt like time was standing still and to an immortal with all the time in the world it fucking sucked having to wait. Bella's heartbeat had slowed even more and her arms had become even more defined. I wanted to peek under the sheet but I refused to do that to my Bella. The next time I saw her naked it would be as my equal. I slid a t-shirt over her head and drew it beneath the sheets. It wouldn't do for Jacob to see her in all her glory. I suppose I could give him that as a parting present but he was undeserving of even a glimpse of Bella's luminous skin.

I went back downstairs and got a glass of water for my prisoner. I found him lying on his back on the cold cement floor, staring up at the ceiling with tears leaking down his face. Why did he have to be such a fucking chick? "Would you like something to drink? Do you think you can manage not to wet yourself if you drink some water?" He groaned at sat up, reaching for the glass.

"How long do you plan on keeping me here?" His voice was raspy, I suppose I should have brought him water sooner than this but I wasn't used to dealing with humans and their constant needs. It was such a fucking nuisance, much like Jacob himself.

I sat on the bottom stair and watched him gulp down the water. "Another day and a half tops. Maybe sooner depending on when she wakes up."

"What the hell do you mean, when she wakes up? Is Bella here? What have you done with her? If you've harmed a hair on her head I swear to God I will…" I was in his face then, an eyebrow raised inquisitively.

"You'll what, exactly?"

His dark skin actually appeared to go completely white. He shook his head but didn't finish his threat. Figures. Fucking coward.

"I thought so. But don't worry your insignificant little head about it, Jacob. I haven't really harmed Bella."

He actually had the nerve to snort at me. I thought about backhanding him but that could wait. I had better ways to hurt him now.

"I don't believe you."

I rolled my eyes. "I don't really care if you do believe me. I have given Bella the greatest gift in the world."

_Fucking rich guy, probably bought her a house or a car or a boat or some damn thing. _Ridiculous human, so limited in his view of what a gift truly could be. "Nothing material, although one day I can and will shower her with anything that she desires."

_Maybe I can't give her things but I can give her my heart, she's had it from the first moment I saw her. _I was treated to an image of Bella struggling with a large box, trying to carry it up to her dorm room. Jacob offered to help her and she gratefully handed him the box, giving him a bright smile of thanks. She was stunning despite, or maybe because of, her sweaty brow. I wanted to lick that image. It was clear Jacob did as well.

"And who's to say that I can't give her my heart as well, young Jacob?" His head jerked in surprise. _What the fuck, can you hear me? _I nodded and grinned at him. _This is some freaky shit. It's like being in a horror movie._

"Truer words, Jacob."

"You don't have a heart."

"Oh but I do. It doesn't beat and it's been dormant for more years than you can imagine but I do indeed have a heart and it seems that Bella has touched it in ways I never expected."

He actually attempted to growl at me. I was delighted and laughed myself silly. "What did you do to her?"

I gave him my best smile, the one I gave women I wanted to fuck. "Well that's a loaded question. It might be better to ask what I didn't do to her." He glared at me, again. Impertinent little fuck. "Well, let's see." I sat next to the child and crossed my legs at the ankles, leaning against the cement wall. "I kissed her." He blanched. "I tasted her." He closed his eyes and his breathing got heavier. "I made love to her." His hands formed fists and his muscles bunched. "I bit her."

His eyes flew open. "You what?"

"I bit her."

"Why in the hell would you bite her?"

"Because that's what I do. I am a vampire you know."

His mouth opened and closed; his feeble mind not able to comprehend what I was telling him. _Vampires are real? He has to be fucking with me. _"You…you drained her blood and killed her?"

"Of course not." Simpleton.

"What then?"

"I drank much of her blood and then gave her my venom. She'll be like me soon."

He pushed up off the wall then, grimacing against the pain in his wrist. "You turned her into a monster? How could you take someone so good and pure and make them evil?"

My amusement at his discomfort fled instantly and I got right in his face. "You're too young to understand the nuances of evil. There are degrees to everything."

He shoved me, or tried to as I didn't move an inch. "She will be a monster. She'll be a filthy blood sucker, killing innocent humans."

I tilted my head to the side and studied him impassively; his breath was heaving, nostrils flaring. He was really and truly angry. "What makes you think she'll kill innocent humans?"

"That's what your kind does, isn't it?" _He has to be joking but he's so strong, definitely not human._

"She'll kill humans, sure, but they won't be innocent."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"I read minds, as you know. I kill the dregs of society; the murderers and rapists and molesters. What's so wrong with that? She, like me, will rid the streets of the vermin that don't belong." _That wouldn't be so bad I guess but why should I believe a word he says? He killed her and she's not a killer, at least not yet._

"But you killed Bella and she's never done anything bad, has she?" _Besides give herself to a monster that is._

I was tired of his silent insults so I backhanded him, his head snapping to the side. "Don't you _dare _think ill of her."

"Why shouldn't I? She fucked a vampire!"

"She didn't know I was a vampire, at the time. You must admit that I am a rather good looking individual, how could she not be attracted to me? And it wasn't fucking, I've fucked many women. I made love to Bella. She deserved nothing less."

"What do you know about love?" He sneered at me, a red mark on his right cheek where I'd struck him.

"Probably more than you as I've actually been around long enough to observe it in its every form."

He slumped against the wall, his head hanging in defeat. "I love her."

I watched him for a minute. He surely thought he did. "Maybe you do, but she doesn't love you."

His eyes were red and he was crying, again. "She would have, in time."

"Yeah, because so many girls fall in love with their _stalkers_," I sneered. "You didn't know when to give up, child."

He shook his head and his voice was a whisper. "She would have loved me." I rolled my eyes. There was no use engaging with him anymore, he was damn near broken, not from my fists but from my words. It felt good to have that kind of power over someone. I left him trembling against the wall and went back upstairs to pass the time.

I watched more movies, listened to some music and eventually sat down to my piano and started to play. It was the easiest way for me to while away the time. I fed and watered Jacob again but didn't bother speaking with him. He'd given up. Not much fight in that human, he was completely unworthy of the girl upstairs. She was still quiet and looked like an angel at rest. I longed to lie beside her but I would wait, we'd have all the time in the world for that.

I called Rose again that night but learned nothing new. They all thought Jacob had done something to Bella and either taken off with her or killed her. Rose was a mess, sniffling into the phone. I attempted to be chivalrous and offered to come lend her a shoulder to cry on but she wasn't hearing of that. No doubt she didn't want me to see her snotty and red faced. That was fine; I had no intention of seeing her again anyway.

The sun rose again and I couldn't contain my excitement. She'd awaken sometime today. I gave Jacob the last of his food and stationed myself on the bed next to Bella, just watching her sleep for the last time. Eventually her heartbeat changed, the soft, slow rhythm became a stuttering louder beat. The time was near. I ran downstairs and got Jacob from the basement, dragging his limp body up the stairs.

He finally showed signs of life when he saw Bella lying in the bed. "Is she dead?" he croaked, his arm reaching out towards her. I yanked him away from her and shoved him in the rocking chair in the corner.

"Not yet, can't you hear it? Her heart is pounding right now, pushing the last of the venom through her veins."

"Great, she'll officially be a monster soon." He sounded like a sullen child. I couldn't wait to be rid of him. Only a matter of moments now.

I listened as her heart strain continued, the irregular sound contrasting with the peacefulness on her face. It stuttered and spluttered and stilled, silent at last. I licked my lips and watched as her eyelids began to flutter.

"I thought you said she was dying?" I growled at him, how dare he interrupt our moment?

"Her heart stopped but she will live on. Forever." With me.

"Why am I here? Did you just want to rub it in? Why not kill me already?" I didn't answer him, the fucking fool. Did he not realize that she was going to be the one to end his miserable existence?

Bella's eyes opened at last, the crimson orbs glancing about the room, landing on me for a moment. I saw a spark of recognition there but then she moved on to Jacob. Before I could blink, before he could even register the movement, she was on him.

Her teeth sank into his neck, he screamed as blood spurted from the wound. I felt my cock harden at the sight of that slip of a girl attached to the beast of a man, her strength completely overpowering him as he slumped out of the chair and onto the floor. She was exquisite, her lips and tongue moving against his neck, the sound of her sucking making me imagine her lips around my cock. _Soon._ _I would have her very soon._

Jacob's breath came in one last gurgle as the life seeped out of him. Bella sucked him dry, not letting one drop go to waste. I felt proud and aroused at the same time. She pushed off him, kicking his useless corpse out of her way as she turned to face me. Her ruby eyes studied me for a minute. She looked like an angel with her tousled brown hair and pure white skin, an undeserved gift from God. I was in awe of her. She was so lovely. So sweet, so perfect, so…

"What the _fuck_ did you do to me?"

* * *

**Author's Note:** To read _Taste of Innocence_ in its original context, go to: http://www(.)fanfiction(.)net/s/5412456/1/Taste_of_Innocence

This excerpt was posted with _Nolebucgrl's_ permission and may not be reposted without her express permission.


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